Fact Check:

Various messages doing rounds on the free messaging platform warn users Don’t Touch Here Your WhatsApp Hangs. The short messages, also seen in Hindi and Telugu languages, present users some Icons, Emojis or Characters, clicking upon which will allegedly hang your WhatsApp service and mobile phone as well. Yes, it is a fact. But like some messages suggested, the message(s) does not carry any Virus and is not a WhatsApp Bug as such.

Hindi version of messageTelugu version of message

Don’t Touch Here Your WhatsApp Hangs

Like shown in the pictures, the aforementioned messages on WhatsApp usually carry icons like a black dot, a ball, ball and badminton bat etc. Despite the warning, many curious readers went on to test the message out of curiosity and have in fact seen their WhatsApp application hang. Not just the WhatsApp, in some cases, users have witnessed hanging of other applications, and the same fate with their phones as well. Worried users restarted their mobile phones to bring them back to working condition. Once the messages went viral rumors spread that they contain Virus that can hack and hang your WhatsApp application (and mobile phone too).

As suggested in a YouTube video shown above, the messages actually contain a series of (lot of) hidden characters, like within the icons, emojis and characters. WhatsApp cannot deal with the load of hidden characters for once and hangs for a while. Actually, it does not respond and hangs for some time, but will usually restore in a while. The message you see is “WhatsApp isn’t responding“. Note, these WhatsApp ‘message bombs’ can also appear in disguise. Say for example, it can read “This is very Interesting!” and include the crying and laughing emoji. Unfortunately, pranksters create these WhatsApp message bombs and let them spread on the free messaging platform. The best way to avoid such hidden spam messages is to delete them as soon as possible and not allow them spread.